To establish the phylogenetic relationships of Dictyophora spp., rDNA-ITS regions of 11 strains of veiled lady mushroom collected from various countries were amplified and sequenced. It was observed that the 11 strains were divided into four groups based on PCR band patterns of each ITS region cleaved by eight different restriction enzymes in cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence analysis (CAPS). The phylogenic relationship of each group by cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) analysis matches well with previously reported morphological phylogeny, such as 5 strains of D. indusiata, 4 strains of D. echinovolvata, and a strain of Phallus rugulosus. Sequence analysis using the cluster V methods showed more detail classification than CAPS analysis. The 5.8S region showed two point nucleotide base exchanges from G to A according to four groups, and four groups were subdivided by sequence variation of ITS I and ITS II regions. But sequence variation of Phallus rugulosus was not showed in full ITS region. This study further delineates the taxonomic level at which ITS sequences, in comparison to ribosomal gene sequence, are most useful in systematics and other mushroom study.

This study was conducted to discover new phytotoxins which may be used as lead molecules for the development of new herbicides. A total of 187 endophytic fungi were isolated from 11 plant species, which were collected from 8 locations in Korea. Their herbicidal activities were screened in vivo by herbicidal and duckweed bioassays after they were cultured in potato dextrose broth and rice solid media. Both fermentation broth and solid culture extract of Gliocladium catenulatum F0006 isolated from red pine (Pinus densiflora) showed 70% herbicidal activity only against cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) out of the 10 weeds tested. Solid culture extract of F0034 isolated from arrowroot (Pueraria thunbergiana) exhibited 20 to 100% herbicidal activities against all of the weeds. Especially, shattercane (Sorghum bicolor), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), and fall pauicum (Panicum dichtomiflorum) were sensitive to the solid culture extract of F0034. In addition, solid culture extract of F0043 isolated from red pine displayed 20% to 70% herbicidal activities only against 5 grass species, but not against 5 broad-leaf plant species. On the other hand, as the results of duckweed assay, 8 fermentation broths showed 100% growth inhibitory activity at concentrations less than 5.0% of culture supernatants and 12 solid cultures had a potent inhibitory activity against duckweed growth. A toxic metabolite was purified from the solid cultures of G. catenulatum F0006 by repeated column chromatography and bioassay. It caused a phytotoxic syndrome only on cocklebur out of the 10 weeds tested; it completely killed cocklebur seedlings at and showed 85% herbicidal activity against cocklebur at . The molecular weight of the toxic metabolite is 238 daltons and its structure determination is underway.

The gibberellins (GAs) play important roles in plant growth and development. Twenty three fungi were isolated from the roots of Lindera obtusiloba and Vaccinium koreanum. The numbers of GA-producing fungi were six strains from Lindera obtusiloba and four strains from Vaccinium koreanum. The fungi with GAs-producing activity were incubated for seven days in 40 ml of Czapek`s liquid medium at , 120 rpm, and the amount of each GA in the medium was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) to determine the productivity of GAs. Penicillium griseofulvum KNU5379 produced more GA in case of than Neurospora crassa known as a GAs-producing fungus. P. griseofulvum KNU5379 was shown to produce in 25 ml of liquid medium. Bioassay using culture fluid of GAs-production fungi was performed on rice sprout.

Neutral salt-soluble, hot water-soluble and methanol-soluble materials (hereinafter referred to Fr. NaCl, Fr. HW and Fr. MeOH, respectively) were extracted from sclerotium of Grifola umbellata. The Fr. NaCl and Fr. HW did not show any direct cytotoxicity against NIH3T3, Sarcoma 180 and MCF-7, but Fr. MeOH showed cytotoxicity against these cell lines at the concentration of . Intraperitoneal injection with Fr. NaCl showed antitumor effect with life prolongation of 66.7% and decrease the number of Sarcoma 180 cells of 54.2% in mice inoculated with Sarcoma 180. Fr. NaCl improved the immunopotentiation activity through alternative complement pathway and the alkaline phosphatase activity by and 6 folds, respectively. The number of peritoneal exudate cells and the circulating leucocytes were increased by 1.7 and 3.6 folds in the Fr. NaCl treating group compared with the control group, respectively. The weight of immunoorgans such as liver, spleen and thymus were also gradually increased. The hematological analysis of the Fr. NaCl group was similar with that of the control group. The total polysaccharide and protein contents of Fr. NaCl were 98.25% and 1.44%, respectively. These results indicate that the antitumor activity of Fr. NaCl was exerted through immunopotentiation, but not through cytotoxicity against the tumor cells.

An endophytic bacterial strain EB215 that was isolated from cucumber (Cucumis sativus) roots displayed a potent in vivo antifungal activity against Colletotrichum species. The strain was identified as Burkholderia cepacia based on its physiological and biochemical characteristics, and 16S rDNA gene sequence. Optimal medium and incubation period for the production of antifungal substances by B. cepacia EB215 were nutrient broth (NB) and 3 days, respectively. An antifungal substance was isolated from the NB cultures of B. cepacia EB215 strain by centrifugation, n-hexane partitioning, silica gel column chromatography, preparative TLC, and in vitro bioassay. Its chemical structure was determined to be pyrrolnitrin by mass and NMR spectral analyses. Pyrrolnitrin showed potent disease control efficacy of more than 90% against pepper anthracnose (Colletotrichum coccodes), cucumber anthracnose (Colletotrichum orbiculare), rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) and rice sheath blight (Corticium sasaki) even at a low concentration of . In addition, it effectively controlled the development of tomato gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) and wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondita) at concentrations over . However, it had no antifungal activity against Phytophthora infestans on tomato plants. Further studies on the development of microbial fungicide using B. cepacia EB215 are in progress.

Gastrodia elata has been cultivated using mycorrizal fungi including Armillaria mellea as an energy source (myco-hetrotrophy) because it is aphyllous and achlorophyllous archid. But the yields of G. elata have been recently decreased owing to the degeneration of spawn tuber arised from successive asexual reproduction. Therefore, this study was carried out to solve this degeneration by seed germination, namely sexual reproduction. The seed germination of G. elata was excellent on the fallen leaves medium of oak tree. The fruetification rate of the capsule of G. elata by artificial pollination was 94.1% and better than natural pollination. The living weight of capsules of G. elata suitable for seeds germination was above 31 mg. The middle-matured seeds and matured seeds of capules were largely germinated, while the immatured seeds was small germinated. The storage temperature of the cropped capsules suitable for a favorable seed germination was and the storage period of it was one month.

Verticillium tenerum was detected from the samples of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duch.) in Korea. The samples on which this species was detected were potato tubers collected from Pyungchang and Gimjae, and fruits and seeds of pumpkin from Yeonchon in 2003. The conidiophores of the fungus produced mainly three to five phialides in verticil. The phialides were narrow, flask-shaped, only very slightly swollen at the base, and taper subulately to a narrow neck. They were hyaline, . The conidia were formed in slimy heads, and were oval to ellipsoidal, pale reddish-brown, . The colony on the substrata was unique, showing brick-red color. This is the first report on the distribution of Verticillium tenerum in Korea.

In March of 2003, the gray mold occurred severely on pea (Pisum sativum) grown in the green houses and open fields in Changseon-myon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam Province, Korea. The symptoms started with water-soaking lesions in the leaves, stems and pods. The typical symptoms of the leaves, stems and pods became withered, discolored and blighted, and then eventually died. The mycelia, conidia and conidiophore of the pathogen appeared on leaves, stems and pods. The conidia were gray, 1-celled, mostly ellipsoid or ovoid in the shape and were in size. Conidiophores were in size. The sclerotia were formed abundantly on potato dextrose agar. The optimum temperature for sclerotial formation was . Pathogenicity of the causal organism was proven according to Koch`s postulate. The causal organism was identified as Botrytis cinerea based on mycological characteristics. This is the first report on gray mold of Pisum sativum caused by B. cinerea in Korea.

Rust disease was occurred on blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) in several farmer`s fields located in Heohwa-myon, Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam province in Korea. The typical symptoms of the disease appeared as small, yellowish spot on leaves at first. The spots then turned brown, their edges rised slightly, and powdery mass of yellow or yellowish green spores appeared on the lesions. Severely infected leaves were blighted and eventually died. Urediniospores were yellow or yellowish brown in color, globoid to ovoid in shape and in size. Teliospores were brown in color, oblong or clavate in shape and in size. The causal fungus was identified as Puccinia belamcandae based on morphological characteristics and host specificity. This is the first report on the rust of B. chinensis caused by P. belamcandae in Korea.